idée-force
French, noun/i.de.fɔʁs/
idée-force is spelled I-D-É-E-F-O-R-C-E (9 letters). Idée-force is a French feminine noun meaning “crux (e.g. of an argument), the central and defining point of a line of reasoning, its thematic heart” (English Wiktionary, September 2026). The French Wiktionary (Wiktionnaire) defines it as “Idée centrale d’un raisonnement, qui représente et symbolise à elle seule ledit raisonnement, de telle sorte…”.
What does idée-force mean in English?
noun
- 1
femininecrux (e.g. of an argument), the central and defining point of a line of reasoning, its thematic heart
Source: English Wiktionary, French section, dump of September 2, 2026 (CC BY-SA 4.0).
How French dictionaries define it
noun: 1. Idée centrale d’un raisonnement, qui représente et symbolise à elle seule ledit raisonnement, de telle sorte qu’elle en constitue le pivot et l’essence même.
The definition in the French Wiktionary (Wiktionnaire), in French.
Source: French Wiktionary (Wiktionnaire), dump of September 1, 2026 (CC BY-SA 4.0), through kaikki.org.
Forms of idée-force
- idées-forces plural
Source: English Wiktionary and French Wiktionary (Wiktionnaire) (dumps of September 2, 2026 and September 1, 2026).
How do you pronounce idée-force?
- /i.de.fɔʁs/
- \i.de.fɔʁs\
Sources: English Wiktionary, French Wiktionary (Wiktionnaire) (dumps of September 2, 2026 and September 1, 2026); recordings from Wikimedia Commons.